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“Humanity First. No to Hatred.” These words were spoken by young French people out in the streets to protest against rising fascism.

“The Ebola virus could solve the world population explosion.” These horrific words, spoken against migration, again come from France, from Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder and honorary president of the extreme right-wing National Front.

Under the leadership of Jean-Marie’s youngest daughter, Marine, the National Front won the highest share of the vote in the EP elections in France, at 25%: Extreme right-wing parties in other European countries, too, not just in France, also caused alarm by raising their shares of the vote. These parties, whose talk and philosophies are based on “racism, anti-immigration, Islamophobia and isolation instead of unity,” took 23% of the votes in Denmark, 28% in Great Britain with United Kingdom Independence Party, 19,5 % in Austria with the Freedom Party of Austria, 15% in Hungary with the Jobbik Party, 13% in Finland with the Finns Party, 30% in Belgium with the New Flemish Alliance and 12% in Greece with the Golden Dawn Party.

This severe “lovelessness” in Europe did not appear only with the EP elections. The first foundations of racism in Europe can be seen in the city-state of Sparta. The practices of the Inquisition, the product of a totalitarian way of thinking, made Medieval Europe a very grim place. Fascism showed its sinister and ugly face in Germany and Italy prior to World War II. Franco’s repressive and antidemocratic fascist administration in Spain survived until 1975. Greece was rocked by coups by fascist juntas in 1963 and 1974. Bloody wars and mass slaughters recently took place in the Balkans because of racial and religious disputes. Ukraine in the east of Europe is literally ablaze. There is intense Neo-Nazi violence against foreign workers and migrants, and particularly Turks, in Germany. Romanian citizens are attacked in numerous European countries.

In speaking of the resurrection of fascism in Europe, we must not forget the philosophy of Anders Breivik, the murderer of 77 young people in Norway. Breivik continues to engage in far-right propaganda during his trial, where he employed the Nazi style of salute.

People who have lived together for hundreds of years must not end up looking at one another with hatred when they meet on the streets; this world is big enough to accommodate people of all views. Extreme right thinking does not only emerge in the form of Islamophobia or anti-immigration. Jewish people also feel that they have to conceal themselves as much as they can. There is an intense hatred of and hostility toward Jews everywhere, and it is not coming strictly from radicals claiming to act in the name of Islam– it is a rebirth of Europe's oldest hatred, the scourge of anti-Semitism. This is completely unacceptable.

Separatist movements are another problem in Europe. There is disturbing Basque separatism in the Basque region of Spain, under the influence of ETA terrorism. Catalonia in Spain also frequently demands to break away. Such intolerance also manifests itself in Belgium; the Flemish want to break away from Belgium. A large part of people in the Veneto region of Italy are also demanding independence on the pretext of their country’s burden of debt. Refusal to share a country’s troubles in times of hardship is, in my view, a problem of lovelessness and disloyalty.

Racism is at an alarming level in Europe, which we think of as having an advanced democracy and being an alliance of civilizations and a center of culture. Unacceptable protests follow one another on football pitches. Eto from Cameroon and Prince Boateng of Ghana were exposed to racist insults in Italy, attracting the attention of the European press. The Tottenham footballer Gareth Bale was subjected to similar racist attacks. Most recently, the Barcelona player Dani Alves has been the target of racist attacks. Although these are strongly condemned, the underlying problem, lovelessness, needs to be addressed.

When we look at the Europe of 70 years ago, we see that the continent was the scene of endless wars, conflicts and disputes. The violence finally came to an end during the time of the European Union, founded in the wake of the bloodiest conflict of all, World War II, and which now stands before us as a fine example of democracy. The EU is a role model for the world in terms of human rights, law, quality and the idea of the social state.

With its industry, tourism and wealth, Europe possesses broad resources. “Being united, respecting differences and building bonds of love” can all be done without compromising on quality. The finest thing is to build a union built on patience, education, morality and, above all, policies of love. Europe must be a continent in which love has spread all over. It must embrace all mankind by preventing policies of hatred.

Concepts such as imperialism and extreme right and extreme left, and all ideologies diametrically opposed to human nature, like savage capitalism and radicalism, all ‘isms’ in short, must become history. The EU is capable of doing this, just as long as it willing to take a new and powerful leap forward to become a union of love rather than one of race and religion.